By Elvira Jordan
The United States has completed the withdrawal of its forces from military facilities under the control of Iraq’s federal government, marking a major change in the long-standing US military presence in the country.
Iraq’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the final contingent of US military advisers had left Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar Province, western Iraq, which had hosted American forces for more than two decades.
The ministry said the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State had also withdrawn from the Joint Operations Command headquarters, leaving the facilities under the full control of Iraqi security forces.
However, US forces remain at Harir Air Base in Erbil Province, which is located in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
Iraq’s central government does not exercise full control over the Kurdistan region, which has its own government, parliament and security forces under Iraq’s constitutional framework.
The United States has been reducing its military presence in Iraq for several years, following a request by the Iraqi government in 2023.
US military involvement in Iraq has fluctuated significantly since the 2003 invasion. American troop numbers reached about 170,000 at their peak before then-President Barack Obama withdrew US forces in 2011.
About 5,000 US troops returned to Iraq in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government to support the fight against Islamic State.
Since December 2021, when Washington announced the end of its combat role in Iraq, approximately 2,500 US troops had remained in the country in an advisory and assistance capacity.
The latest withdrawal leaves Iraqi security forces in control of the US-occupied military facilities within the country’s federal territory.
